The “Worldwide Forum on urban violence, and education for coexistence and peace” ends today in Madrid after 3 days. Hundred of evictions have been executed, silently and by force these 3 days. For living in peace, Human Rights must be accomplished but in Spain HUMAN RIGHTS ARE VIOLATED EVERY DAY when, for suffering a downturn in circumstances due to unemployment or illness:
–> HOMES are lost through forced evictions, with children or elders, to banks that were rescued with public money, to leave them EMPTY because vulture investors are illegally allowed to speculate with housing instead of preserving it as socially necessary. As if that was not enough, your family is left in debt for life! Despite the fact that European courts have reiterated our mortgage laws as abusive.
–> PEOPLE are left in the dark, to shower with cold water if your water has not been cut off too.
This is urban violence, although millions of benefits, corruption and marketing hide this global financial terrorism (still killing and cutting down our health) to be unsolved. Although it were not included into Press release of this World Forum, that should be able to reply this simple QUESTION:
With a minimum allowance of 350-500€, below the poverty threshold for Madrid, how can any family be expected to survive and pay rents? If nobody rents you accommodation and you’ll be homeless, what do you do… when you’re scared to death?
Find a temporary peace getting a ceiling over your head can’t be a crime. With less than 1% social housing in Madrid province, almost 25% have been sold off to vulture funds and only 0.15% of the regional GDP is dedicated to housing. Why are you stigmatized as a criminal, if you aren’t the problem but the system that excluded you? People are forced to recover their housing right by themselves. Nobody wants be excluded. Violence is to discriminate against someone that can’t access a paper, hampered by the Administration when you’re trying to access any rights in the city. Violence? An Administration having resources but not providing them, is promoting further poverty. That’s the real crime, intentionally omitted it in their Press release, to be read by politicals who apply insufficient measures.
Decent laws to meet this emergency are urgently needed:
–> To replace “eviction” with “social rent”. Structurally, not just for the 8% of households unable to cope with the basic expenses of housing, but also for the thousands of people who have died waiting for affordable housing while there are 300,000 empty homes in Madrid, many in the hands of speculators. Unable to rent in your neighborhood because actual rents are not renewed unless adjusted to the new speculative rental bubble that is appearing.
–> To make effective the right to housing = universalize affordable housing, not make rights depend on whether you are profitable for a bank! Guarantee it empowering the people, protecting them from bank frauds and its impunity.
This fundamental laws are “The Five Minimums about Housing” PAH has introduced into National Parlament, and the regional Popular Legislative Initiative (ILP) for the right to housing that today is promoted by several civil organizations that defend Housing other basic social right, such Health or Education.
Otherwise there will be no peace for present and future generations, only anguish.
Dear World Forum, make sure to MPs, mayors and councilors became aware, and demand ACTIONS, supporting ILP Vivienda MAdrid and Ley de Vivienda de La PAH.
PEACE, BREAD, LABOUR RIGHTS… AND HOUSING RIGHT, for DIGNITY!